


Glass as Sharp as a Sword

by cachexicGramary



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternative Universe - Kingdom, Bro's not abusive hes just a really bad person, Human Auto-Responder | Lil Hal, Humanstuck, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Strilondes, Tags May Change, The Glass Spare AU, bros name is Broseph for inside jokes, dirk/jake is only mentioned im sorry, hal barely likes him but he wants to be like him, her names Ruth bc i gotta stick to the R name, kind of?, mainly because I don't know who they're gonna be but I know there's gonna be more, none of the kids except hal like him tho, not in the way canon dave wanted to be like him though, ok all the ships don't come in until later, the queen isn't rose or roxy's canon mom bc shes one of the best characters and i love her
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:08:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24639685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cachexicGramary/pseuds/cachexicGramary
Summary: Dave Lalonde, born into the royal family as a blessing and curse. In other words, the last Lalonde born and with something special. In other, other words, Dave Strider the last spare.Au of the book The Glass Spare by Lauren DeStefano. The au follows the book pretty closely for the first few chapters.Davekat comes later but it's hard to miss once it's there."The king feared nothing until he saw his youngest son. His other children were as perfect as dolls to the open eye. But when he looked at Dave something was different, not different as in albino, or freckled, or covered in scars. Something that did not belong in this world. "
Relationships: Auto-Responder | Lil Hal & Dave Strider, Auto-Responder | Lil Hal & Dirk Strider, Auto-Responder | Lil Hal & Rose Lalonde, Auto-Responder | Lil Hal & Rose Lalonde & Roxy Lalonde & Dave Strider & Dirk Strider, Auto-Responder | Lil Hal & Roxy Lalonde, Dave Strider & Dirk Strider, Dave Strider/Karkat Vantas, Jake English/Dirk Strider, John Egbert/Roxy Lalonde, Rose Lalonde & Dave Strider, Rose Lalonde & Dirk Strider, Rose Lalonde & Roxy Lalonde, Rose Lalonde/Kanaya Maryam, Roxy Lalonde & Dave Strider, Roxy Lalonde & Dirk Strider
Kudos: 8





	1. Prologue: The Last Spare

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, nowhere near my first fanfiction but its the first Homestuck one I've written that is worth public view by a ton. I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Age reference although I'm pretty sure Dave's is the only one that matters:  
> Dave and Rose: 15  
> Hal: 18  
> Dirk: 20  
> Roxy: 24

The windows were ordered to be covered during the days of the twins' births. The queen believed it kept fragile spirits from wandering off into the beautiful song of death. A song she swore she could hear during the hours of labor.

Rose arrived quickly on a Sunday morning, early into the season. She was screaming until Roxy took a hold of her from their father and gently laid her into the crib, where she laid silently until just an hour before Dave was born.

Dave came out pale and bloody, his veins visible from head to toe, no one thought he would make it the night. He hadn’t cried like his sister, he hadn’t had perfect skin like his sister. He was covered in freckles and birthmarks that took the shape of scars, but the most peculiar one laid between the spread of his ribs. A clean white line, as if someone cut, torn out, and returned his heart.

The king feared nothing until he saw his youngest son. His other children were as perfect as dolls to the open eye. But when he looked at Dave something was different, not different as in albino, or freckled, or covered in scars. Something that did not belong in this world. 

Rose’s childhood consisted of reading or knitting. Learning about psychoanalysis from the old servant in the kitchen. She had it normal. Though, many nights throughout Dave’s childhood, after hours of sparring and training, the queen would hold him and rock him to sleep. Whispering, “Death shrank away in fear once you came into the light.”

He always thought that it was Ironic seeing that he couldn't actually look into lights without going basically blind.


	2. Chapter One: You're Wind. You're Everywhere.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dave goes to do smth, gets into a fight, then is happy- I think?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first chapter coolio, it's follows along to the chapter of the book closely and so does half of the next one but then it only follows the basic plot.

Bag slung against his side, shades framing his face, Dave pushed his way through the crowd.

He walked by the shops, salons, cafes, and restaurants, right up to the vendors towards the end of the Port Capital. Lined up from clothes to jewelry, mixed with varieties of items, the vendors were against a low stone brick wall where waves crashed several feet below.

It was peaceful in the Port Capital, somewhere Dave didn’t have to be prepared to fight for his life (most of the time, it depends). He could be himself, rhyme some ill beats, write some poetry as great as Shakespeare, discover new philosophies, feed the crows, buy all the apple juice, all the good stuff there. Oh, and run errands for his sister.

This city has the finest trading center of the world, built on the sea with stone and oak, fancy windows and pillars.

Roxy always employed him to run these errands. No matter how many times she expresses her love for the outdoors she’s far too caught up in her discoveries and cats to venture into the forest and walk the stone roads outside the castle.

She would be in the said castle now, in her lab, discovering all sorts of ways to alchemize. Her eyes would be lit up by the glow of the transportalizer as she made yet another cat and her hair would be pushed up into a tight ponytail. She would be drinking small victory drinks along with the ways of her discoveries, muttering excitedly under her breath as another cat was brought into this kingdom, she’d smile as she’d get reactions from the elements she manipulated.

Speaking of which, the newest sets of elements she wanted to study always seemed to lead Dave to the underground market. His sword sat firmly in the sheathe on his back. A warning to anyone that he came across. Even if that wasn’t enough and he lost his sword, the small knives and daggers in his bag would help him in a fight. The sword was etched with clock looking carvings that were purely decorative, but when the carvings were turned just slightly the small holes would fill with mind honey fumes and the fight would be over before it even started.

Dave wore a pair of Dirks old boots, ones he had outgrown. Ones that were most likely abandoned from whenever Jake visited. Dave laughed to himself as a memory of walking into Dirk's room flashed into his mind.

_Twelve-year-old Dave walked up to his brother's double door and knocked; He had a noise complaint. No response, but screw responses, he opened the door and holy mother of Jesus-_

_“What the_ fuck _?” Dave said, slamming the door. Because holy shit he did not need to see his brother holding a very flushed Jake English against the wall, half-_ naked _!_

Sometime during that walk down memory lane, the clock had struck noon and the ships were unloading.

Dave had to fit in in the Capital, something that wouldn’t mark him as a member of the royal family. So, he wore a very dark red button-up with floral beading in a slightly lighter red up near the collar, along with tight black pants. It made him invisible among the crowd.

He passed by a few vendors, each selling something familiar that he wouldn’t see for another few months. Good thing they weren’t selling top-notch potions or the newest of artillery, just boring tunics with weird designs. He continued ignoring them and walked on.

One of the vendors, a woman with two children at her feet dressed in rust and bronze, caught his attention. “Fancy a new sheathe, good sir?” She asked through her fake accent and mouthful of some sort of candy.

“Nah, looking for something with more badaz,” Dave replied, noticing how the children were eyeing him. His hand brushed against his bag, a basic motion that could be taken as a gesture or as he’s a poor wee lad with no money.

One of the children, the girl, stood up, “The vendors this way sells what you’re looking for!” She smiled, that smile was probably the creepiest he’s seen in years.

She said something all too fast for Dave to barely pick up but it ended with a far too freakily nice: “Follow me.”

The street was quieter than most, clothing lines hung from above, along with the crows circling like vultures. The girl slipped off into an alleyway and stood in front of a metal door close to the entrance. Those things always made it harder to escape from.

The girl knocked a rhythm, and Dave swore it was to the tune of one of his sick beats about apple juice- or the one about his vampire loving sister before he concluded anything the door swung and the girl slipped by a tall, muscular man standing in the opening. His aura was a metaphor to how bad this little quest could end, Dave mentally noted.

_Damn, Roxy better be thankful for all this shit I’m going through for her… sigh, goddamn, Lalonde._

“Punch cards or cruxite artifacts?” The man asks, folding his arms across his chest and lifting his chin.

Keeping his usually stoic manner, Dave replied, “Punch card,” and then named a few types of punch cards.

Dave did not doubt that most, if not all, of these items, are highly illegal. It wouldn’t be the first time Roxy sent him on some fairly illegal and dangerous errand. Well, punch cards weren’t _Illegal_ , he knew that much, but they definitely were rare. Rare as in only the elders remembered the coding and only a few younger people, such as his sister, made the effort to study them. Study all she wants, why can’t she transportilize them to her? Dave thought.

“Lowlife, I can’t hear what you’re saying.” The man grumbled, because oh shit Dave had totally just said half that out loud even if it wasn’t audible for the most part.

Mr. Grumpy looked him up and down. Besides his cool kid glasses and albino freak of features, Dave passed as the most ordinary of all the ordinary guys in the kingdom, well besides Roxy’s boyfriend, John. No one out in the Capital would take him for a Lalonde at least.

Eventually, after a minute of just standing there, the man moved aside to let Dave in. The room was small, filled with a few kids near tables adding to a sorted stack of punch cards, or marking large crates with stickers. These children were probably only a few that this man had bought or traded for, but they didn’t look unsafe or unhealthy.

Dave almost gagged at the smell, if not the sight of the room once his focus was off the unharmed children.

Dave was handed a small box filled with punch cards. Yeah. Maybe it won't be as affordable as he had first thought.

“20,000 boondollars.” The man huffed out.

Dave rolls his eyes, thankful for his shades so he wouldn't be attacked. No room for bargaining, this stuff is expensive and Dave knew it. That doesn’t mean he’s not happy about it.

“Damn, only got 14 to the three O’s there, buddy.” His voice hints at a smirk but he keeps a stoic expression. He’s not wealthy in this situation- well he is but they don’t know that- he can’t just give in to the price like that.

Dave spoke, well more like thought, too soon and before he had time to react, which is shocking, Dave was pinned to a wall. Although the guy seemed totally unhappy about the closeness, Dave could feel the man's breath against his cheek.

Then the man mumbled something about price again, right as Dave kicked him in the groin. He definitely was not expecting much force from Dave’s small figure. That gave him an advantage, an element of surprise, except now the man knew Dave was stronger than he let on so it wasn’t much of a surprise.

Dave’s attacker smiled and then stepped closer, his smile was almost as creepy as the girls with all his messed up and missing teeth.

“Equius,” A what seemed like a normal chirpy voice said in a warning tone. That was all it took for the man to lose his focus on Dave and for him to escape back through the metal door, punch cards in tow.

When he was back at the vendor's stand, the creepy-smile girl was standing there with a worried expression. Dave paused for a split second, the words abscond and run, circled in his mind.

“Uh. Here,” He rummaged through his bag and then handed the girl a knife. “If that man comes close to you in any threatening way at all, like he’s all up in your bee’s knees, stealing your clothes like an annoying sibling, taking the food off your plate after you repeatedly told him to stop, like he’s- Right, okay. Stab him in his lower abdomen,” Dave directed and pointed at his kidney, “Okay. Cool.” _Abscond_.

The street was fairly quiet now. The stars hung high in the sky and the waves continued to crash as Dave made his way to the forest and out of the city. His city.

When he was younger Roxy and Dirk took him and Rose to the city as often as they could. Dirk would hop from roof to roof, he always looked at peace there. Roxy would take them to shops, show them the new fashion trends and slightly older styles.

_“This is all our, brother.” Rose patted Dave’s back, a smile etching her face, as they sat near a large oak tree._

_“Yeah. Yeah, it is.” He responded with a smirk, leaning back._

_Dirk appeared in front of them, stoic and cold as always, but Dave knew his posture proved he was at ease._

_“It’s all ours, Rosie,” He repeated to her. “Always remember that.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minor characters: Equius, Nepeta, Aradia, and Tavros. Not important to the story, sorry!!

**Author's Note:**

> The prologue is very close to the actual prologue please go read The Glass Spare it's such a good read. Thank you!


End file.
